Sweet & Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash

I'm sharing this recipe because I LOVED it and may never be able to make it again...

Before I met Adam, squash was a staple in Emily's and my apartment. We would make this sauteed vegetable delight, which we lovingly refereed to as Mess, almost weekly. It went a little something like this; go to Target, pick up every yummy vegetable you saw (onion, zucchini, squash, garlic, peppers), go home and start chopping until you never wanted to chop again, throw it all in the monster pan, cook until it was all tender and delicious, add whatever seasoning you felt like, and enjoy your masterpiece.

We loved Mess.

We ate Mess whenever another dinner idea evaded us.

It. Was. Life.

Enter my "I can eat anything and in ginormous proportions" husband (boyfriend at the time). Turns out the only thing that reacts badly to his steel plated stomach is...ANY SORT OF SQUASH.

Let's take a moment to mourn the loss of our beloved Mess. Rest in peace zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash...we will remember you fondly.

Fast forward four and a half years, and someone thought it might be a good idea to give squash another go! So, with the permission of my darning husband, I brought squash back into the kitchen.

I adapted the idea from the kitchn's Sara's Italian Sweet and Savory Squash Bowls. You can find the recipe here. For the most part I followed right along with the ingredient list, but I did make a few tweaks to fit my sugar free diet.

Tweaks for Sweet & Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash

1. I found that the recipe cook time was far less than was needed for the squash. In the end, I microwaved the squash for almost twice the time: between 16-20 minutes. If I tried this again, I would go ahead and roast the squash in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. 
2. While Sara said the bread crumbs were an absolute must, I threw them out completely. Give it a shot if you'd like, but it didn't seem quite on track with sugar free standards. 
3. The recipe calls for two cups of spinach, but I added almost three. I loved how the wilted spinach played off the spice of the sausage and the sweetness of the squash. 
4. Totally unnecessary, but delicious...when the squash was soft and ready to be stuffed, I spread a little butter over the flesh. I remember my mom doing it when I was younger, and habits die hard. 

In the end, we both thought this meal was yummy and a total repeat taste-wise.

However, Adam's stomach had a different opinion. Bummer! Maybe I'll try again in another four years... 

Even though it won't be a repeat in my kitchen, give it a shot in yours! And please, don't forget to invite me over so we can share in the joy of squash together. Sorry, Adam! 

:-)